WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Asakusa
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Veteran of the Northern Front ◈
Chapter 23: Rewards and Recognition (2)
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The extraordinary reward issued by headquarters.
I heard the news about a week after the battle ended.
“Pardon? Commander of five hundred?”
“That is correct.”
Berun, no longer a centurion but now a Commander of a Thousand, nodded.
“Headquarters has agreed to waive the rest of your service term and offer you the position of commander of five hundred. What do you think? Are you interested?”
“...”
I had suspected as much ever since I heard I was listed first among those credited for the battle.
‘But I never expected them to offer me command of five hundred.’
It was a decision so extraordinary that it was genuinely shocking.
A commander of five hundred, who led five hundred soldiers, was not normally an official post. It was a temporary position appointed at a commander’s discretion for specific circumstances.
Someone might think, ‘Oh, then it’s nothing special.’
That would be stupid.
I was a squad commander, and a penal soldier at that. Overnight, I was being made a mid-level commander.
‘This means I need to completely revise my plans.’
My original plan had been Plan A, with escape as the main objective, switching to Plan B as circumstances required.
In the immediate future, escape might have been better than becoming a commander of five hundred. If I remained in the Imperial Army, I would have to face the disaster known as the Great Invasion.
But aside from that, accepting the position was more beneficial in every way.
Even if I escaped now, the only path available to me would be becoming a mercenary. As a commander of five hundred, meanwhile, the state would give me authority over soldiers and a salary besides.
And that was not all.
Thinking about the chaotic era that would unfold after the Great Invasion, I needed to build a force somehow. The soldiers under my command would become a tremendous asset then.
‘If I get a territory by some stroke of luck, I could even take the warlord route.’
The warlord route was a playstyle in the game where one built an independent force using military authority and private soldiers from one’s territory.
Should I flee from the Great Invasion and start again from the bottom, or use this opportunity to overcome it and make a great leap forward?
There was no need to say which I would choose.
‘I never thought the misunderstanding I left alone to earn Berun’s favor would become reality like this.’
What could I do? It had already happened.
I just had to accept it.
Still, accepting the offer without even a little back-and-forth did not suit my temperament.
“A commander of five hundred... This is rather sudden, so...”
“Does it not appeal to you?”
“It does, but if I accept the offer, what will happen to my squad members?”
I pretended to be as flustered as possible and cautiously expressed what I wanted.
“We have shared hardships together and grown close, so parting ways like this would be...”
“I will ask the soldiers what they want. If they wish, arrangements can be made for them to be assigned under you.”
Okay.
This meant I could bring along those who wished to stay with me.
All that remained was the post itself.
Berun, apparently having grasped my intentions to some extent, asked with a peculiar expression.
“Is there anything else concerning you?”
“May I ask what post I will be assigned to?”
“It has not yet been decided where you will be posted, but unless something serious arises, you will likely continue serving in this unit. Why? Is there a particular region you want?”
“Forgive me, but there is.”
“You are more shrewd than you look.”
“Ha ha. I’ll take that as praise.”
Despite the words, Berun did not sound reproachful. I returned it as a light joke.
“Heh. All right, where would you like to go? Headquarters told me to grant any reasonable request in consideration of your accomplishments, so speak freely.”
“The post I want is...”
When I quietly stated my preference, Berun tilted his head with an expression of disbelief.
“Why somewhere like that... No, never mind. You must have thought it through. Do you have any further requests?”
“No.”
“Then it is settled. Welcome to becoming a true member of the Imperial Army.”
Berun patted my shoulder with an approving expression.
I saluted and replied in a ringing voice.
“Yes, sir! Thank you for welcoming me.”
It was the moment I cast off that miserable life as a penal soldier and became a true member of the Imperial Army.
＊＊＊＊＊
After finishing my private meeting with Berun, I immediately informed the squad of the news.
When they heard I had become a commander of five hundred, they could not stop exclaiming in amazement.
“I-Is that true?”
“Command of five hundred, and a Medal of Military Merit too... Isn’t the road to success wide open for you now?”
At Marco and Raul’s reactions, I scratched my cheek.
“The road to success? Does this count as that?”
Come to think of it, it was not exactly wrong.
“Congratulations, Commander.”
“I knew this would happen for you, Commander!”
“Right, right. Thank you. But...”
I spoke with a tense expression.
“I want to make you all an offer.”
Perhaps sensing that the atmosphere differed from usual, the squad members grew serious.
“I intend to use this opportunity as a stepping stone to climb higher. And I want all of you to come with me.”
Berun had given permission, but I could not guarantee what decision they would make.
‘They were all recognized as second-class contributors in the last campaign and had their terms of service waived in full. Bluntly put, they could be discharged in just a few days. Who would want to stay in the army just to remain with me?’
It would be a lie to say I would not feel bitter after all the bonds we had built, but I steeled myself.
‘If they refuse, do not be disappointed or force them.’
All I could do was convey my sincerity.
The choice belonged to them.
But then...
“What are you saying, Commander?!”
Apparently, I was not the only one who had grown attached.
Max beat a fist against his chest as though hurt.
“Did you think you were going to abandon us and leave just because you’ve risen in rank?”
My reflection showed in his one remaining eye.
“Max, you...”
“If we do not follow you, Commander, who are we supposed to follow?”
“That’s right. Honestly, if it weren’t for you, Commander, we would have died several times over already.”
“Well, even if we leave, there is nothing for us to do except hunt or farm.”
“And we might get into trouble and end up back here anyway. In that case, it is a hundred, no, a thousand times better to rise in the ranks under the Commander.”
“Raul, you bastard. You really did work for a merchant company, didn’t you? You’re already getting ready to suck up.”
“That is called experience, you brat.”
“Experience my ass!”
The barracks soon grew noisy. As I watched them with a blank expression, Marcus spoke with a faint smile.
“None of the people here want to leave you, Lord Ubel. So do not worry. Just say what you always say.”
“What I always say?”
“Yes. ‘I will take responsibility for you all, so trust me and follow me.’”
“...”
“Heh. Marcus is right, Commander. Just give the order. We will gladly follow.”
There was only one answer I could give Max in return for that trust.
“...All right. Thank you. More importantly, how is your eye?”
“Ha ha, it is perfectly fine, so there is no need to worry!”
At his expression, which looked genuinely unconcerned, I made a vow.
If nothing else, I would take responsibility for Max from now on.
‘No.’
Not just Max.
Marcus, Martin, Walter, Raul, Kram, Jackson, Marco, and Ren. No matter what happened, I would take responsibility for every one of them who had put their faith in me.
＊＊＊＊＊
A few days after reaffirming my bond with the squad, Schultz Konrad, commander-in-chief of the Northern Front, visited the unit to distribute rewards and recognition.
Before the ranks of gathered soldiers, Schultz clasped the hands of every soldier who had participated in the subjugation campaign, offering apologies and gratitude.
“I sincerely apologize for the great danger that my and headquarters’ misguided decision placed you in.”
“N-No, sir!”
“Thank you for returning alive.”
“Thank you, sir!”
The soldiers who had resented the subjugation campaign looked at Schultz with reverence as though they had never felt otherwise.
Partly because Schultz’s reputation was widely known throughout the North, but also because a noble and commander who stood as high as the sky had personally apologized to them. They were deeply moved.
‘It would be like a division commander, no, a corps commander from my past life personally visiting a unit to apologize to the soldiers. Of course they would react this way.’
The more I looked at Schultz, the more remarkable he seemed.
Sincerity aside, it was astonishing enough in this world of rigid class divisions for someone above to apologize to someone below.
There were people for whom turning the tables on their victims was second nature, and people who would not hesitate to murder to conceal their own mistakes. Compared to them, a person of character like Schultz could be called a living national treasure.
The speech, which lasted more than thirty minutes, only ended after Schultz had made a full circuit of the training ground.
Now came the long-awaited highlight.
The distribution of rewards and recognition for those with first-class merit.
Pellon and Berun, who had been waiting, headed to the platform with disciplined bearing when their names were called.
And lastly...
“Squad Commander Ubel Graum.”
I rose from my place and stepped forward beneath the eyes of countless soldiers.
“So you are Ubel. It is good to meet you at last.”
“It is an honor to meet the commander-in-chief known as the Star of the North, sir! Ever since I was young, I have heard of your achievements and admired you.”
Schultz had earned countless military accomplishments in youth. Schultz’s name was known throughout the Empire, and the Imperial Academy reportedly held books recording his accomplishments and the tactics he had devised.
“Ha ha. This young man is gilding this old face.”
“He seems remarkably open-minded for someone his age.”
“The people at the Academy should follow his example instead of debating pointless philosophies all day.”
Perhaps pleased by my flattery, the staff officers and commanders nearby smiled with satisfaction.
They were all living witnesses who had shared Schultz’s history in the North. They seemed pleased because they felt that their years and the effort contained within them had been acknowledged.
Ah, and naturally, I had never actually read anything about Schultz’s life.
Step. Step.
Schultz slowly approached me.
“It is reassuring to know that the North has talent like you.”
“No, sir. I only...”
Then Schultz whispered in a voice too quiet for anyone else to hear.
“I did find it curious that you requested to go to Camilla Fortress.”
Camilla Fortress.
A garrison so small that calling it a fortress was almost embarrassing, with a standing force of only around five hundred.
That was the place I had asked Berun to assign me to.
There was a separate reason I wanted to go to Camilla Fortress, but I could not tell Schultz the truth, so I offered a plausible explanation.
“My hometown is nearby.”
That was true. The Graum family’s home, where the body’s original owner came from, was about three days from Camilla Fortress.
“I have heard that Camilla Fortress sees few barbarian invasions, but that it is not entirely safe. I have always dreamed that, if given the chance, I would stabilize the region so the people of my hometown would no longer have to live in fear.”
“...That is a truly admirable thought, and I cannot fault it. Still, I hope you do not forget that you belong to the North.”
Not all of them were like this, but I had heard there was some friction within the Imperial Army depending on where one was stationed.
In terms of my past life, it was something like regional prejudice or excessive military pride.
In any case, Camilla Fortress lay on the border between the North and the East. Northerners considered it part of the East, while Easterners considered it part of the North. Schultz seemed worried I would run off to the East.
“Do not worry. My heart is in the North.”
“Then that is enough.”
Honestly, I did not have any particular feelings for the North.
‘I’m in the North right now, aren’t I?’
My heart is in the North. That’s not a lie.
Of course, whether it would remain that way was something only time would tell.
After the rewards and recognition ceremony ended, I greeted various commanders and staff officers before returning to the barracks.
As I reflected on how much my circumstances had changed, I felt newly struck by it.
‘Compared to when I first entered this world, I have really risen in the ranks.’
Instead of the uniforms worn by penal soldiers, a black dress uniform reserved for centurions and above wrapped my body. A Medal of Military Merit rested on my chest, while the shoulder insignia of an official commander adorned my shoulders.
“Lord Ubel, the dress uniform suits you well.”
“...I do not think I should be hearing that from you.”
Marcus had received the rank of centurion and wore the same dress uniform as me. But perhaps because Marcus was so strikingly handsome?
Marcus looked just like a supermodel from my past life.
Judging from the proud way Marcus had been stroking his collar since earlier, he seemed somewhat aware of it himself.
Max, who had been listening beside us, sighed in a joking tone.
“Ugh, to think the one who was a clueless recruit not long ago is a centurion now.”
“Ahem. I was never clueless...”
“Oh, what has the world come to?”
“Seriously. Marcus has the shortest service record of all of us...”
“It feels like only yesterday that Marcus was going to do laundry with Ren.”
“The army has turned completely upside down!”
Throb!
As the squad joined Max in teasing Marcus, a vein eventually bulged on Marcus’s forehead.
“...Come to think of it, everyone seems to have recovered from their injuries. A little sparring for training should not be a problem.”
“Gah!”
“Hey, hey, run!”
Marcus chased the squad with fierce momentum, while they fled from Marcus. Despite everything that had happened, they had not changed, and laughter burst from me without my realizing it.
After a brief chase, Max, having barely escaped Marcus, came over to me while catching his breath.
Huff, huff... Man, I’m exhausted. Marcus seems to become more of a monster every day.
“You should not have teased Marcus so much.”
“When else am I supposed to tease Marcus? He is a centurion now, so I will have to speak formally to him from now on.”
I had thought they viewed Marcus only as a fellow soldier, but they seemed to have prepared themselves to accept Marcus as their superior in their own way.
“But Commander, why did you request a transfer to Camilla Fortress of all places?”
“The reason...”
There were plenty of reasons.
First, my position.
Camilla Fortress had only five hundred soldiers.
That meant that as commander of five hundred, I would become the fortress’s highest-ranking officer.
‘I refuse to bow and scrape under some idiot superior like Gilbert.’
After realizing how unbearable an incompetent superior could be, a guarantee of stable command was an important consideration for me.
Next, the second reason.
Its location.
Camilla Fortress was small, but the terrain was rough and steep mountain ranges flanked both sides. With one thousand soldiers, it could easily hold off ten thousand enemies, making it an impregnable fortress.
Why else would even the warlike barbarians hesitate to attack it?
It would be breached during the Great Invasion due to the fortress commander’s absurd mistake, but...
‘That was because that fool was an idiot.’
Camilla Fortress was a place the barbarians rarely invaded.
It was the ideal location to prepare for the Great Invasion.
And third, finally.
In truth, this was the most important reason.
To the Empire, it was merely an isolated frontier. But Camilla Fortress was also one of the game’s major strategic points.
First, minerals.
Gold, silver, iron, the most important resource in a chaotic age, and more.
There were many undiscovered mines around Camilla Fortress.
‘That was why whenever I started in the East while playing the game, I always claimed the land around Camilla Fortress first.’
It was a strategic link to the North, an impregnable fortress, and it was surrounded by countless mines. If the eastern land was cultivated, fertile farmland could also be established.
How could I simply ignore such naturally blessed land when it was being left untouched?
I was only a commander now, so it would be difficult to make any moves, but...
‘There is no harm in securing a spot and marking it as mine in advance.’
Going to Camilla Fortress, expanding my influence, and ultimately making it my territory.
That was the newly conceived plan.
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